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Monday, May 31, 2010

The new Competizione will be called the Alfa Romeo 8C GTA (Gran Turismo Allegerito) and is said to be a more exotic version of the Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione. . It is also said to be modeled after the classic 1965 Giulia Sprint GTA. Pictures of the new Alfa Romeo 8C GTA have already been floating around the web, but here are some nice renderings of the new beast that will surely tickle some fancies.

Sunday, May 30, 2010

New Alfa Romeo Giulietta Brochure 2010, We’ve already brought you heaps of images of Alfa Romeo’s new Giulietta hatch , but we thought you might also be interested in the car’s official brochure. Unfortunately, the English version of the brochure was only 6-pages long, so we opted to upload photos of the Italian edition which is more comprehensive. Follow the jump to check it out.

Friday, May 28, 2010

a 1931 8C 2300 tipo Le Mans, similar to the blue one that was modelled by Scalextric in the 1960s and which regularly beat the too-tall 4½ Litre Bentley on my own particular Plexitrack. But it's not just any 8C 2300. It is the 8C that Sir Henry (aka Tim) Birkin bought in 1931 and in which he won that year's Le Mans 24 Hours.

This extremely special Alfa later went to live in Nigeria, where its doctor owner eventually converted it into a pick-up. You couldn't do that with a modern Le Mans car. Rediscovered in the 1970s and restored to how it had been, it now lives in Alfa Romeo's Centro Storico.

The modification package is comprised of stiffer springs than lower the car by 30 millimeters, the "Parco Chiuso" dual-exit exhaust system with bypass valve, 305mm Brembo disc brakes, a competition ECU good for an extra 31 horsepower, 18-inch matte black wheels and a rather divisive body kit made by Carrozzeria Castagna Milano

Powertrain options for the Giulia will be rather varied. 118- and 168-horsepower versions of the Multiair turbocharged 1.4-liter I-4 are in the running, along with both a 104-horsepower, 1.6-liter turbo-diesel I-4 and a 168-horsepower 2.0-liter turbo-diesel I-4. Those who desire more power will possibly be able to opt for a GTA model using a 273-horsepower, 3.3-liter V-6 based on Chrysler's new Pentastar engine design. Transmission options will include six-speed manual and automatic transmissions, while higher-end models will likely gain the option of dual-clutch gearboxes. Front-wheel-drive will be standard, but all-wheel drive will be an option on high-content and high-performance models.

I think the writer could have found a car in better condition, but at least it's a fairly positive and reasonably factual piece. Aussie GTVs and earlier GTs were saddled with some of the US cars' woes but IMHO were not as enfeebled as suggested. And personally I could barely pick any difference between the 2 litre 4 and the 2.5l V6. Of course I have the 4 in my garage so I'm possibly biased...

The Alfetta and the GT were sold in the US starting in 1975, under a variety of names. The sedan petered out by 1979, but the coupe had much longer run, thanks to the implant of Alfa’s first modern V6 engine, which turned it into the GTV-6, from 1981 through 1986. That delicious confection of chrome induction tubes and soul-stirring mechanical music gave the Alfetta a new lease on life, especially in the performance-hungry US. The 1.8 and 2.0 fours of the early version put out some 124hp, which was not sufficient in the face of competition from new small hot hatches like the VW GTI, the Corolla GT-S, and others, especially considering its higher price tag.

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Maybe the car had a problem, not unusual in a press-test car. (That possibility was not explored by the writer.) Or perhaps the driver was misreading the car's feedback (definitely possible, car reviewers rarely exhibit any idea how to drive). Or the MiTo has a split personality just as the writer describes. I guess we'll never know unless we drive this spooky car ourselves!

So what I’ve found out so far was that the Mito may oversteer without your knowledge but it also may understeer without your knowledge too. While it is nimble and agile, it does get confused sometimes. Hence the Mito has a multiple personality disorder or in other words; there is some lunacy involved every time you drive the car.

Monday, May 10, 2010

Zagato is celebrating its long term links with Alfa Romeo during the marque’s centenary year by crafting a modern interpretation of the classic Alfa TZ and TZ2 racing cars of the 1960s. Like the originals, the cutting edge TZ3 is designed to minimize weight yet use the most powerful drive-train possible, so the 1960s aluminum tubular frame has been replaced by a carbon fiber monocoque with hand-crafted aluminum panels and in place of the original four cylinder engine is an 8C Competizone 4.2 liter V8. The final equation is 420 bhp pushing a curb weight of 850 kg for a 0-100 kmh in 3.5 seconds and a top speed of 300 kmh… and good looks and wicked roadholding.

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